News

Feature Film Production on the Increase in Los Angeles

On-location filming in Greater Los Angeles increased 5.8 percent between April and June, 2016 to 9,937 Shoot Days (SD)*, according to an update from FilmL.A. Continuing growth in the Feature Films category, attributable to the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program, helped keep local film crews working.

Local on-location Feature production increased 9.7 percent (to 1,309 SD) in the second quarter, thanks to projects filming in California with the aid of the state film incentive. Along with other Feature projects, four films retained by the state incentive were in production last quarter, generating 108 SD of filming. Those projects included Battle of the Sexes, Latin Lover, Please Stand By and Why Him.

“We’re delighted to report a second straight quarter of Feature growth for Los Angeles, as we’d hoped for and predicted,” observed FilmL.A. President Paul Audley. “We expect these production increases to continue until the state’s incentive reaches full utilization.”

There’s simply no place like Los Angeles County, where you can walk around the corner and find yourself in the middle of a film set that has turned the streets into New York City or Gotham City,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe of the report. “Film production is booming and the large and small businesses that benefit from the industry are feeling the benefits, providing hundreds of thousands of jobs, directly and indirectly.”

Among all of the production categories tracked by FilmL.A. Research, Television is most crucially linked to the availability of state incentives. Approximately 38 percent (or 395 SD) of L.A.’s second quarter TV Drama production was incentive-driven, in addition to 15 percent (or 42 SD) for TV Pilots.

Commercial production levels held steady with a mere 0.4 percent slip in the second quarter (to 1,243 SD). Local Commercial production levels have been holding steady since 2014.

Access to this and other FilmL.A. Reseach reports is available on the FilmL.A. website.